On "Doing What You Are Told"

Recently, Bill gave a two day workshop on "Getting to Know Acrylics" and I took the workshop. The caveat to taking the workshop was that I 'did everything I was told' in the class. For any of you that know me, you will understand how difficult that is for me. Bill, being Bill, knew that this would take a concerted effort on my part, but I agreed nonetheless.

I am not a painter. I can not draw or better put, I can not draw anything easily and in my entire lifetime there are maybe a handful of things I can look at that don't cause me embarrassment. I see wonderful things in my mind...I see them as 3D sculptural things, but somewhere from mind to hand to paper they are totally distorted by a motor skill that I can not master.

The class had other artists (those that could paint) and I was the only one without the experience.... and it didn't matter! I left that first day completely satisfied with what I had accomplished so far and looked forward to coming back for the second day. Bill has real skill at teaching. He also has incredible patience.

In this case... pictures will definitely speak better than words.

Here is the photograph Bill took that we were using to paint from.
Here is Bill's painting (which he did along with the class)

and here is mine.

Watching my painting develop on the canvas wasn't the only thrill. I also found that I actually began to understand a concept of painting that I really hadn't thought that much about...The concept that I wasn't painting an object, but that I was painting what makes that object.

Sometimes good things really do come out of 'doing what you are told'.

For anyone that is interested, Bill will be giving a one-day class on November 16, 2010 on "Getting To Know Acrylics". More information can be found here: Workshops/Classes